Unconventional Artist’s Studio in Vietnam Allows Nature Inside

The Terra Cotta Studio, located next to Thu Bon river in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, has a particular architectural structure. Noted for being the working space of renowned artist Le Duc Ha (who creates beautiful sculptures and pottery), the studio is a stunning art structure itself to engage in.

This project is a cube-shaped building. Immediately surrounding the studio is a bamboo frame that is used for drying out terra cotta products. It is further designed with two big benches for resting, relaxing, and having tea. This raised platform also serves as a fence to divide the studio and the workshop.

The bricks were built interleaved creating holes which allow the wind to provide a bit of natual air conditioning. At the same time, these unconventional “walls” allow the artist to interact with the surrounding environment: the sound of the rushing river and the crisp breeze.

“The studio was designed as a place for containing, contemplating and spreading the emotion of the artist with his both finished and unfinished artworks,” the developing architects at Tropical Space said.

The interior of the studio is a three-floor wood frame system, where cutout square modules act as shelves for displaying artwork. There is a staircase leading upstairs, to hallways and seating benches. As you walk through the hallways, you will observe the workshop, the river banks, and the expansive garden through the windows and brick perforations. [Information provided by Tropical Space Co.,Ltd; photography by Oki Hiroyuki]